Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-10-07
SOMEBODY'S SECRET.

SOMEBODY'S SECRET.
St. Juliotts is about the sleepiest village
in Cornwall it is not in the track of tour
lists, and has nothing specially remarkable
about the height of its cliffs, the sapphire
of its sea, or the beauty of its situation
but it is nevertheless, a charming spot
and one which the traveller having dis
covered, will revisit with ever increasing
affection.
Years ago the village was often heard of
the scene of disaster to shipping but a
light placed on the headland, forming one
arm of its little bay, proved of service in
guiding unwary mariners and it was,
therefore, the more exciting when, during
dense fog in the early part of 49,, a
large vessel made total shipwreck on the
dangerous rocks beneath the peaceful lights
in the cottage windows The fishermen of
st. Julotts were able to take boats to the
vessel, owing to the position into which
she drifted, and thanks to their gallant
exertions during the whole dreadful night,
crew, mate, and captain of the Olaf Bj0rn-
sen were all saved but the heavy sea which
was running made the work of rescue both
difficult and dangerous several men were
village The mate, Eric Gottorp, a fine
stalwart Dane, with a magnificent fair
beard, clear blue eyes, and smile as soft
a. woman's, was terribly crippled his
hurts were so severe that it taxed the skill
of the kindly doctor 10 help him to a cure
and long after the captain and crew of the
ill-fated vessel had found other ships he
fingered at St. Juliotts in a condition pitia-
ble To behold. 1t was not till the hedges
were in full leaf, and the fuchsias showing
their crimson buds at each cottage door,
that he was able to crawl out into the sun
shine, and realize that health might once
more be his.
During his enforced residence with the
worthy Mrs Cobbledick, who nursed him
as if he were her son, he had been cheered
and amused by the friendly interest of the
neighbors but his chief pleasure was an
occasional visit from Barbara Tregage, the
daughter of the schoolmaster, whose pres
ence frightened the cottage like a sunbeam
| ''Bab" was seventeen, and as pretty as she
was good Her hair was the color of a
chestnut fresh from its pod, her features
well cut, and her complexion perfect she
had the merry, sweet expression of happy
| child, and to see her was to feel she would
| grow to be a woman in a thousand She
was the mainstay of the Tregage house
hold, which consisted of an invalid mother,
six children, whose ages ranged from three
to twelve years. and the father who CON
| sidered himself a noteworthy parsonage,
and ruled his household with a rod of iron.
All day long, for help, sympathy or
work, Bah was in constant requisition,
and she needed all the patience and courage
with which she was endowed by nature TO
travel along the path where fate had placed
her but if bright looks indicate happiness,
Barbara needed no pity, and required nc
change in her existence. The wreck had,
of course, greatly interested her, and the
memory of her happy face and kindly words
will often come back to the sailors who
shared them but the serious illness of pool
Gottorp awakened all her pity, and to see
the strong man more helpless than her
youngest brother, touched the tenderest
chords in her heart. Whenever she could
she went to Mrs Cobbledick's cottage, anC
took her lodger few flowers or little dain
ties prepared by herself sometimes SHE
read TO him, and her low, sweet voice
soothed and comforted him as nothing els,
could, till he watched for her coming a,
the patients at Scutari did for Miss Night
ingale.
With convalescence, however, Eric founC
that he saw but little of Barbara and whei
he was able 10 limp up and down the vii
lage, and slowly make his way to the sands
he noticed that he never met ''the sun
beam" nor CHANGED on an idle five minute
when he could claim her attention, an,
watch her bright eyes glow and darken a
she listened to the tales of his simple hom
! in Denmark, and the mothers and sister
whom he loved so dearly, or heard his ac
counts of adventure in foreign lands an,
L., MI eni
'Where is my copy of Hamlet y aske
5 Mr.. Tregage, one evening, as he surveye
l the bookshelves in the little sitting room.
81 have lent it to Mr.. Gottorp,n sal
, Bab's soft treble as she lifted her eye
from her sewing, and looked with a smil
2 at her father ''he is getting on well wit
his English and wanted to read Shakspere.
p Il beg you will lend him no more of m
books, " said Mr.. Tregage, severely.
Father ~ exclaimed Bah in astonisi
ment.
4 "And moreover" continued he, in
: rasping tone, 81 desire that you do not &
to Mrs Cobbledick's while he is there thre
times lately | have wanted you, and thre
times Tommy has told me you were readin
S to the foreigner. Foreigner indeed I
5 have none of it All foreigners are alike
e bad, bad, bad !"
A
-, Gottorp is not like a foreigner, he is only
u Dane and very much the same as an Eng
lishman except for his accent"
t "Be silent, said Mr.. Tregage "he is
1 foreigner and forbid your acquaintance
/ Bah sighed a long sigh she saw he
pleasant friendship was at an end. He
fathers deeply rooted objection to any oI
d not English arose from miserable ma
It riage between his favorite sister and @
Italian, who had ill-treated and desertt
her and Bah knew that discussion wou
- only entail a repetition of the sad stor
and be useless in effecting any change
d opinion, and as her obedience was paid
l. the spirit as well as TO the letter of h
10 fathers commands, it was small wond
r that Eric so often sought her in val
None the less, however, as he wander'
II disconsolately on cliff and shore, did she
n his thoughts and as the lovely SUNNI
lf days heightened resolve grew in
III heart that this little English blossom shou
as be his wife, and hopes and dreams of he
he would WOO and win her served to VIII
- away his days. The younger Tregag
Ia were under no ban as TO their acquaintanc
and TO them Eric was king and hero,
Or Bah heard much of him, though she sa
m him so little. Indeed, stranger comii
- to St Juliotts might have taken Eric &c
=, torp for its principal inhabitant, so oft
!" were his speeches quoted or his aid invoke
r. The captain of the Olaf Bjornsen h
Z, promised to try and find him employme
nd as soon as he should be able TO take it, a
he anxiously awaited the doctors perm
sion to seek it inaction was intoleral
when work would help him to gain po
it tion in which he might ask Barbara TO
III his wife
!. One lovely morning Bah set out early
10 the neighboring village of ITALIANS, whe
e. she was TO help the rector's wife in prep'
rn ing for large school feast TO be held I
e- following day and with light heart S
'e- took her way over the cliffs, enjoying
K the full the rare treat of a holiday 1
Int tide was high and she could hear the way
"a tapping against the rocks below there "
I'd. no sail in sight, and the water stretch
by away in all the beauty of its unruiied gree
of flecked here and there by purple shad
se from passing cloud.
on The day soon passed she had given
re willing aid in all the arrangements and
on rector's wife made her the bearer of an
We vitation 10 all the children for the morro'
all festivities She paused ON her homewl
nd way 10 gather some bulrushes, for whic
nd streamlet in the village was famous; O
be- at the top of the rocky descent which
ay TO the shore she stayed again to gaze at
in scene. The village she had left was out
sight, hidden in "a hollow of the thy